A Character Study of Aunt Cass
by PeculiarOne
Summary: A first-person view of Aunt Cass’ mind through her own memoirs.


This was written because I chronically overthink the backstories of secondary characters.

Disclaimer: I do not own Aunt Cass, or Big Hero 6, or anything else referenced in this fic, much to my dismay.

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Day One of my One-Year Journal Plan.

November 7, 2014

Goal: Introduce Yourself

Hi! As you already know, I am your Aunt Cass. I am thirty-one years old as of this date, and could probably be considered a crazy cat lady. Now, stop reading my journal and go do your homework. Or go clean something. Or just do something useful. No, rewiring the kitchen appliances is not useful, Hiro!

Where was I… oh yes. This is the journal of Cassidy Rudolf. You might know me as Aunt Cass, the owner of Lucky Cat Cafe, the Slow-Clap Cat lady, or even Sassy, my old nickname that is hopefully long forgotten by now. If you are still reading, Hiro, go do your chores.

Anyway, I like clean kitchens, happy customers, good food, and the occasional classic Frankenstein movie marathon. I love my cat, my donuts, my adorable nephews and Baymax. Hiro, go to bed.

A typical day for me is waking up bright and early and quickly feeding Mochi before opening the Cafe for the morning crowd. Hiro's friends are regulars, now. Between serving, I can hear Baymax try to wake Hiro up on time and get him to eat breakfast; 'the most important meal of the day.' Thank you, Baymax. That robot makes my life so much easier. Then, Hiro is on his way to the college with his friends. They are good for him, too. While he is gone, I keep busy with the Cafe until closing time, then I clean up and start dinner for us. By then, Hiro is home and it's relaxing family time. He tells me about his day and what he's learned or is working on, I make him laugh with a story or two from one of the more amusing customers. I kiss the top of his head before bed, still; much to his groaning, and then we start over again the next day. If I have to go anywhere, I take the trolley.

Anyway, for more about me, not that I like to brag or anything, but I like to think of myself as knowing my way around a knife or two dozen. In fact, I've collected quite a number of some really nice sets of knives. I was the champion of an underground cooking competition, you know. I can chop like there's no tomorrow! But that is not the only way I know how to use a knife.

My older sister and I were a great team. She would handle the planning and the numbers, and I would handle the people and the food. We were the dynamic duo! Then, Averie met the handsome and geeky Toshiro. Trust me, as the tag-along little sister I heard all about how handsome and geeky he was. Our dynamic duo quickly turned into the Triumphant Trio, and it's safe to say that Averie fell in love and in the process lost a bit of her, uh, cautious outlook on life. Not that I minded much myself, after I made sure that Toshiro knew to be extra careful about not hurting my big sister. I liked the excitement. Not to mention how Toshiro could make any crazy idea seem like a good idea at that moment, and worth it in the end no matter how wrong it went. Hiro gets that from him.

Anyway, we decided to use our various talents, play dress-up, and adopt a genuine lucky cat while saving a some random citizens and putting a few criminals behind bars along the way. We planned, we dreamed, it turned out that Toshiro was as head over heels as my sister and they got married. I opened the Lucky Cat Cafe. Perfect covers, by the way. Or that's what we thought at the time. A happy and successful scientist couple with two precious kids and big dreams for the future, and an eccentric Cafe owner who can make some seriously good donuts. We had it made for several years of happily ever after.

Then, the car cash happened, and I was left with one inconsolable six-year-old and a confused two-year-old who didn't understand that Mommy and Daddy weren't coming back. I myself was caught somewhere between the two emotions. I suspected foul play, as Averie and Toshiro had recently received a note detailing how whoever-it-was that wrote it knew of their secret. That was why they had left the kids with me that night, otherwise they would have all been in that wreck. It was probably an old criminal looking for revenge, but I couldn't go on my own quest for justice with two dependent kids who were hurting. They were the priority. They had to stay safe. The note had only stated knowledge of Averie and Toshiro, no mention of the third member. My identity was secure. After all, who would suspect the unassuming and absent minded little-sister-turned-aunt? No one ever had, and I was going to keep it that way. My nephews deserved that much security in their already tragic lives.

Really, it isn't that hard to act the absent-minded but doting Aunt. With a hundred different things on your mind at once, it becomes hard to concentrate on one train of thought. I wonder now more than ever how Averie always knew what was going on, with her mind so busy. Sounds exhausting to me. I had enough trouble being responsible for two lives and a functioning restaurant! Especially when those two lives were very active and very clever boys, the restaurant needed to pass health regulations, and said clever boys had successfully taken apart my refrigerator. They put it back together, eventually, but still. Raising those two was -still is, for Hiro- a handful, but I love them all the more for it. Though I could have done without the whole botfighting thing. That was a serious pet-peeve of mine, it being illegal and everything.

Tadashi was eighteen and doing well in college. Hiro was fourteen and already graduated high school. Tadashi built Baymax, Hiro made his microbots, and I still don't fully understand how either of them work. The fire happened. I lost my eldest nephew and Hiro lost his older brother. I was so worried about Hiro. I lost my older sister, but I had motivation, responsibilities to keep me going. Hiro was closed off.

I know what motivated him, now. What kept him going, what he does those nights he says he's studying with his friends. I know about the armor he tries to hide. I can't say that I'm pleased with him keeping it a secret from me, or really with him putting himself in danger at all. But he has his friends and Baymax to watch his back, and I can't really fault him for following his parents and Aunt's footsteps, even if it's unknowingly. I've kept my secrets too. I still do; Hiro doesn't know about the shadow that follows behind him with knives in her purse. I don't know if I should be relieved or concerned that he hasn't discovered me yet. I'm pretty sure Baymax knows when I'm there, with his scanner and all, but if Baymax or Hiro's friends or even Hiro himself suspects, they haven't voiced it. Maybe one day.


End file.
